Random ramblings of a mind damaged by years of disuse and abuse. Also a place to go to be bored to tears.

The Random Comic Strip

Words to live by...

"How beautiful it is to do nothing, and to rest afterward."

[Spanish Proverb]Ius luxuriae publice datum est

(The right to looseness has been officially given)

"Everyone carries a part of society on his shoulders," wrote Ludwig von Mises, "no one is relieved of his share of responsibility by others. And no one can find a safe way for himself if society is sweeping towards destruction. Therefore everyone, in his own interest, must thrust himself vigorously into the intellectual battle."

Apparently, the crossword puzzle that disappeared from the blog, came back.

Friday, March 30, 2012

Did you read about...

I have tried to avoid reading newspapers, news magazines, or watching news on the TV. I have failed repeatedly and backslid every time. I can't help, I am a news junkie. Yes, "junkie" is the proper word here. What else so accurately describes a person who engages in an activity that is unhealthy both mentally and physically? What else has the right negative connotation?

While watching or reading the news, I get angry, outraged and just generally upset. You might say I get my panties in a bunch but I rarely wear those anymore.

I am trying... very hard... to be more calm these days. I want to gain control over my temper. It's a difficult thing to do, though, with so many outrages apparent these days.

I grew up with the Cold War. I grew up in a house where newspapers were read, where comments were made about the stories; mostly comments like "Hmmpf!" and "I thought so!" plus a few mumbled "idiots!" and so on... and mostly by my father, my mother was indifferent at best and quite willing to leave commentary to my father. I wanted to be informed and soon graduated from reading the funny papers to reading the front section of the news... though I must admit I started with the comics before looking at page 1 and still do that today. When I actually read a newspaper. Which is rare. I get my news primarily online, from the internet.

The internet has changed the way we get our news but it hasn't really changed the news that much. What it has done is shape how we think about the news stories, though. I think we get more opinion embedded into the news stories now. And, when we don't, we seek it out.

2 comments:

Torggil
said...

oh I dunno. The internet has made different sides to news stories far easier to get. Think of the anti new world order activists. I learned stacks about "Agenda 21" on you tuibe the other day. The things people don't tell you about the UN's environmental initatives. Its made the paranoids and skeptics far easier to reach, and opens up veiwpoints from a far wider spectrum then ever.

Also, my father, when he visited me had the news on all the time. Interestingly, he stayed away from Fox and CNN, instead he watched Al Jazeera, saying it was the best newschannel we had. And possibly the LEAST biased. Interesting he would say that, but he did experience, albiet as a child, NAZI propaganda in occupied Holland. It alswo makes me think that despite the lack of censorship in the press in our society, it doesn't prevent manipulation.

I have tried watching al Jazeera but I see bias there. Perhaps I see bias where there is none but I have come to the conclusion that bias is a natural condition of human beings, as is prejudice. I think a lack of bias is almost impossible so I don't expect it. Rather, I try to read/view many reports from many places and try to glean common facts out of that. In doing that, I have seen a lot of manipulation of facts through emphasis and de-emphasis of the various facts. I don't say I am without bias or exceptionally objective but I try... which means I don't agree with a lot of people about events.

The lack of censorship permits, maybe even encourages, manipulation. Read up on "yellow journalism" sometime.